I don't know about you guys, but I'm becoming an avid onlooker for different designs of homes. To be really frank I'm absolutely sick of the matchbook stick houses we are so use to in the US. One of the biggest reasons for me, is that I am an absolute glutton for natural light. I have no idea what the American obsession is with small windows.

I notice some trends like an awful lot of people into different types of homes are willing to walk around on some polished concrete, where as the typical person in America thinks that is like some foreboden possibility; and carpet or rugs are necessary under no less than some hardwood, composite wood, or at least laminate on top of concrete/subfloor. They also tend to lack granite counter tops. Also a lot of designs seem to reduce room count, and/or walls. A great many don't have windows that open. And they don't seem nearly concerned about as even of heat or concerns about A/C that can drop a home to 65* when it's 110*. Not too many partake in a floating substructure.

So I'm going to kick off a bunch of stuff I'm into and not into.

First off for me cost is a big deal. I'm actually getting upset at the lack of prices associated with projects. There are no shortage or architecturally interesting places that cost a mountain of money, usually based on massive floating concrete structures and shapes in 3000sqft+ places with lots of obscure custom iron work etc. Those are fine or whatever, but I'm interested in cost being part of design in the sense that if we expect to see any new homes being different for a changing world, we can't expect them to all float crazy expense. This is particularly true for a tiny home, where cost is relatively antithetical to the concept of reduction in life and a move towards a minimalistic attitude with a lot of one's life. I confess I don't know how to approximate the prices of all of homes, but I think I can guess within reason.

So with my rant, I bring you to what I consider to be a very pretty failure, absolute flop. that should be around sub $150k, maybe sub $100k - particularly with an interest in repetition of manufacturing - somehow floated up towards $600k. One can only imagine what costs are incurred with whatever the heck everything is covered in, the ordering of intensely custom everything made out of metal by low production quantity shops of snoody metallurgist. If you check out the VIPP website they have some pretty intensely expensive things that look hard to justify the cost of no matter what.

Here's another. I'm sure it isn't nearly as nutty in price. But fact of the matter is it is still pretty expensive, long out of reach of most people. It's a great looking home, but it's crossed the line with complicated structure and expense for me (don't have a figure, don't need it).

So what's a good place, that starts to make sense? Well, I think a lot of Gabel-ish houses are appealing, actually.

Here's a small place, with a big open area. This one is just drywall on the inside, nothing special. The outside is just clad wood that you probably restain once in awhile. The shutters are really neat, and are nothing more than some left over cuttings from the siding it looks like. But they create lines, and it looks great. They seven sacrificed square footage to allow a window-frame-bench seating (big fan).

Next up is a bit of an odd-ball. It's a real simply place, and probably the majority of the expense went into two windows. It's not very big. It's mostly some wood cladding and the walls are structured from long posts to double as support & siding. (you may find I've become sort of obsessed with euro style wood cladding, as oppose to the tongue and groove look you see in the united states, even though the euro could be tongue and goove they keep it flat)

Now for a real Gabel house. It's not as small; I can't figure out how big the bedrooms are. And the whole outside is wood. I can't tell if it's plywood with 1x2's over it or what exactly, but it sure isn't fancy metal. They went with drywall but have some really strange paint type and texture I know nothing about. I'm not so sure about the mid windows, I think they might be leakers in the future. Anyway, it's family sized.

Another Gabel House. This place keeps it pretty simple. But they went with a really lite wood on the inside, which I like a lot actually. I would certainly consider a white washed wood on the inside of any place. Simplicity and size are very attractive on this one.

Here's a house that's family sized. I'm not into the TV room, so the layout isn't perfect for me. But overall it's a pretty simple place. It actually has less window area than I like, but I thought it was worth a mention. You can rent it for $347 a night, for your whole family if you want. It gets real economical with more than one adult. I guess you have to want to go to where-ever it is, but if you did, seems like a fabulously priced place compared to some prices I've been involved with in Hawaii or Palm Springs (Mid Century Moderns are my weakness for warm weather homes, have to admit it, they have lots of window coverage on the back side, love it).

These little cabins are actually sized well for 1-2 people. They're very simply, using wood as the aesthetic. They would be a great starter place without a family, or attached to a university or whatever. But I think they could use a bit more window, particularly in the bedroom because I love natural light waking me up. I'd want another window in the living room, too... the square ones, or just make that one wider. It looks like the two units are joined, which obviously isn't necessary.

Family sized house. It's a bit big, surely cost starts to climb some with 3 stories. But I want to give it credit for making a bunch of cheap weave on the outside look really neat. The look of the wood on the inside is also really nice and comforting.

A little more odd n' ends now.

For example, a barn could become a quaint little place. But to be honest the inside is a bit... American typical looking for my taste.

I know nothing about this place, but I love a nice big room, nice and simple, lots of window. And it's just plywood walls.

And how about a different take on a warm weather house that's a mix of two gabel like places with a connector? It's different, lots of natural light, and focuses on a nice place to be outside in the sun. I'm into it. The expense might be a bit much compared to making a real simple Gabel house. But I wanted to through it in. You could probably do it quiet a bit cheaper than some of the features they chose. Well, at least I can dig the ceilings.

Thanks for this discussion. Those are some interesting examples you shared. I've watched a lot of the Kirsten Dierksen videos on youtube and they definitely do find some interesting stuff. Some of it doesn't appeal to me, or it feels a little bit overplayed (shipping container houses) but some of it is really sweet. There was a great video on an architect in Texas who built a place that was designed with the context in mind - loved his approach.

Back in November, I spent some time in Gualala and really enjoyed visiting Sea Ranch and looking at the various buildings. The architectural style there is very tightly regulated, and the effect is striking. Very minimal exterior palettes. The house we stayed at was completely clad in cedar shingles and the interior was all rough plywood. With a 2 story wall of windows looking out over the forests to the Pacific, you don't need much inside.

One thing I notice with a lot of these examples is that they often sit on a massive plot of land. In my narrow rowhouse, I feel envious of the privacy and spaciousness they get. I also feel like it would be frowned upon for me to chop mortises late at night here. A lot of these houses have ample light, big windows, and are far enough away from their neighbors that privacy is less of a concern. There is something really interesting when you are in a house where when you look out a window, you don't see other houses.

Yes, the complication of being inside of a city town does arise. Clearly, being outside gives a better view. However I think Mid Century Moderns show how you can do it. The trick is aiming the windowage at the backyard, mostly. The double-gable type thing could have neighbors on both sides, wouldn't really change it. I'm down with skylights. And there are ways to increase light in other ways:

. (not a fan of the inside, it needs work/redesign)

While I appreciate these homes, obviously I'm not distinctly tied to decisions that require being outside of town.

Here is one of my absolutely favorite houses ever. It started life as a old & cheap village house (or warehouse, not sure). Then someone threw a very modest amount at it, to buy a couple windows, add drywall, and do two concrete feature.... and I'm in love with it. (it does have a larger concrete pad around it now, but that is trivial to me)

Here's one that is a bit different. What is so interesting is that the whole structure is made off of the roof. It actually reduces materials, and makes me wonder if the nuttiness actually makes it settle down in price - a bit contradictory to normal.

An Irish architect who designed and built the house mostly by himself:„This project belongs to the vernacular tradition. In this tradition, the knowledge of how to construct a house is held in common by a community. On this website you can download information and inspiration to help you to design and build your own house much like the one in the photo which cost a total of €25,000 to construct. It took me a total of 50 days to build, which I did over two years with the help of friends, family, neighbours and a few specialists… “

I would opt for an occasional upgrade of building material, but in general I am still in love with the idea of a self-built house like this.

I'm very impressed by Laura Kampf's tiny house - build on the base of a (typical german, construction site)- trailer. Personally I couldn't live without a personal bathroom, afaik she says in one the videos she uses the one in the house that is on the same property as her tiny house - if that works for her, it's great. For me it wouldn't. But that's the only thing throwing me off a little - I love her attention to detail, overall style of her work and eye for design. I really, really like this build - I think it's great and her skills are top notch!

(Sorry for the long video list, but I think it's easier to find this way for people reading this thread)

An Irish architect who designed and built the house mostly by himself:„This project belongs to the vernacular tradition. In this tradition, the knowledge of how to construct a house is held in common by a community. On this website you can download information and inspiration to help you to design and build your own house much like the one in the photo which cost a total of €25,000 to construct. It took me a total of 50 days to build, which I did over two years with the help of friends, family, neighbours and a few specialists… “

I would opt for an occasional upgrade of building material, but in general I am still in love with the idea of a self-built house like this.

Wow, that's a pretty awesome feat. I'd probably want to throw several thousand more at it and make the front a larger window area, and maybe some side windows, and it'd still be a real cheap house. Looks like you could master bedroom instead of two. Thanks for sharing, that's really cool how they give you all the info online.

One thing I look for in these designs (I subscribe to Dwell) is a place to make stuff and store stuff. Seems like the inhabitants of these minimal houses only...

I've noticed this as well, that a few places look to suffer from storage loss. I think you change your lifestyle some, as part of the gig. But then again on the homes that have the deep windows you can sit in, that whole wall could be cabinets right? Well, and a many of these tend to be vacation homes. I figure for any craftsman types here they would need a separate shop from the house. I myself am not a "stuff" person as much as possible so I wouldn't need a ton of storage. But I like to keep a place clean so I think inventive storage in some beautiful architecture would be nice to see.

I guess a question comes up, do you nurture your stuff, or yourself, with the place you live in?

Believe me, I know what it is like to have "stuff". Now I'm pretty ruthless towards it after moving enough times. But in all fairness it would be impossible for me to have "work" in the home, or a workshop, with the small sizes. I can easily see myself having a shop for some things nearby, or another location for work related stuff.

It is never an easy task to commit to having control over your personal space. It means things like denying gifts, or putting them in storage. It just isn't possible to be a collector of too many things. In a way that helps you decide what is important. Do I NEED to own every thing I like? Can I not just be appreciative of things without owning? I have a small vinyl album collection that I love to grow as I find gems. What isn't in it is a huge swath of stuff I like on the radio. I don't have the albums at home because either they sound bad or only have a couple good tracks. But if it comes on the radio while driving I might rock out. My collection stays smaller because if I don't give it play, I don't keep it.

I help my mother and grandmother hang all their stuff, make risers for above their cabinets, etc... they like the "stuff". And as comforting as their homes can be in ways, I am not content with the enslavement given to specific items. A particular picture or plaster rooster may command a whole wall or such. They literally struggle trying to figure out how to get everything they have on the walls... For me, I want the things in my space to feel secondary to an aesthetic that makes me feel really good. The space should provide pleasure without anything in it, and go from there. On the flip side my mother and grandmother's places feel empty and devoid of enjoyability to them, until stuff is everywhere.

In a way I only intend to encourage things that enhance experience. The spaces should just make me feel good about them and appreciate the weather, the outdoors, just like how I should get an experience out of music (I design and make stereo equipment, a whole other huge topic). These are big goals, not short and easy ones. They take dedication. As valuable as watching youtube videos on interesting homes is, one could watch a video on minimalism or intense garden designs. There is a form of dedication in all of them, when you commit to something beyond a place to hold your stuff and keep you from freezing.

It isn't for everyone. Not everyone is interested in being the type of person that moderates the collection of plastic crap for cellphones and do-dads of electronics. Not everyone is into the idea of choosing dish sets that have no room for flexibility to complement a tiny home. Not everyone wants to give up a garage for their car to make a space big enough. But what most people don't know is that they'd be perfectly fine, maybe even better, without some of the amenities they are accustom to. My grandmother for example just had a house built, but she lived happily in a 2 room cottage rental for 8 months after selling her big house with a garage and shop with an RV in it etc etc etc... She had a kitchen so big that it had empty cabinets all over. Yet she did great in a like 400 square foot space (maybe smaller). She likes her new home, but had she got stuck in the cottage her life would have been fine.

Ok, I've been thinking a lot about the... lots. What do you do when you live in town? Where are those places? I know Mid Century Moderns were my go-to, but I thought I'd try and keep track of some interesting stuff that I find. Here's the first one.

Now this place was clearly on a pretty tight budget, but turned out pretty darn nice for a very small city lot. They did a lot without a lot, to create an aesthetic, a feel, a decent amount of natural light, and even a way to flow air without sacrificing privacy and safety.

I'm interested in efficient homes so like the idea of thick concrete floors (with lots of insulation underneath) behind large windows to provide thermal mass to a home. it soaks up the heat during the day then releases it at night.I like large overhanging eaves so the midday sun is shielded though.Been keeping my eye on the tiny home movement but also SIPS panel technology as its strong, very airtight and makes for super efficient homes, clad it with whatever you want but I really can't stand homes that cost a fortune to run.A series that I've seen on Youtube has been very informative about them, I've linked to the second episode as on the first there's some wally braying away with a hammer and you can hardly hear the bloke talking.

Cool. They seems smart, no matter what you're building. I'm not a huge fan of OSB because of the issues with moisture, but it does work if it's protected well. seems like he has got it down to a better product.

There is a complication to these extremely well sealed homes... They need fresh air intake if you ask me. I'm not even sure if there is such a thing, that works without killing efficiency? You also need some exhaust... At least I don't feel good without changing the air. And unless you go really "green" you basically end up making a carcinogen box. When I say that, I include carpet... Carpets layers get sick these days. It's the nastiest stuff... Some people might not think this is as big of a deal, but there are lot of people (myself included) that are sensitive to it, and the people not sensitive are fine until one day they have cancer exploding all over in them.

I mean, think about it... In an old house with high air exchange compared to a TIGHTLY sealed one. You spray windex? You've got methylammonia everywhere and it doesn't leave. There are endless examples.

If anyone has some good information about this subject, that would be nice. I feel that the last cheap city one I posted is interesting because you can effectively make it into a wind tunnel by opening "windows" at one end.

As a personal note, I could never buy a SIP home already made. As an audiophile I would likely be running my own electrical separate from things. Other people may have that issue too, for other reasons. That is probably the biggest turn off, if you can solve air exchange. (currently my place isn't great for it, I literally open doors up periodically, which cools the place down but whatever)

Hi Jeremy, I think was is easily forgotten when looking at these houses is that one should first of all use architecture fitting the area of the house.

In my opinion this is the most forgotten trait in today’s world.

And I totally agree with you, that living in a „plastic bag“ is nothing we should long for, from a feel good and a health perspective.

I think that only focusing on keeping heat in, one can not get the complete picture. We are mostly using 3-fold glass windows in Europe these days. They are great at keeping warmth in. BUT they are equally good at keeping the warmth of the sun out, so you loose all the solar gain you could get for free and end up using more fuel to heat the homes..

I hope to find a solution, once I‘m starting a new home for myself. [emoji1317]

Indeed, they did a lot in a small space. I like how nice it all appears. Although I would splurge to get away from OSB personally

To me it seems like a crucial rule for the feeling of a natural light space may be that the some windows should be within inches of the height of the ceiling themselves. All the places that look dark to me have higher ceilings than windows.

Nice passive gabel places. I like the smaller one you can see if you click on the download here button. Prices are in CAD so they're actually very reasonable for a passive home. IMO I'd add some more windows, however, particularly at the end of the places, esp up high.

A little more barn style SIP prefabs. I'd go 1 bedroom on any of them I think, the two smaller ones. The large place seems like you're not getting a lot for the price.

Fun thread.Here's a few pics of the last house that I designed and built. SIPS for the walls, butterfly roof with closed cell spray foam for the exterior and standard fiberglass batts on the interior. Rainscreen siding assembly with cypress and cement board detailing. Passive solar siting. Energy recovery ventilator for a healthy air exchange. I custom built all of the cabinets and concrete counters.

It was a fund design because the site was tiny- only about 1400st feet and triangular- so the design had to incorporates some serious limitations on shape and size.

The site was 1400- the actual house sq footage is about 2400. 3bed, 3 bath with a bonus space/loft. This was back in 2007 and I built it for about 325k- but I did 95% of the work myself and also drew a paycheck from that cost...

Well, it was just me swinging the hammer with the occasional helper- so from design and permitting to actually being move-in ready, it took about 18 months. But, as for the shell- the SIPS only took about a week to install with me and two helpers. If you had an actual crew and sub-contractors, I don't see why it would take any longer than 2-3 months to complete once the foundation and site work were done.

To be really frank I'm absolutely sick of the matchbook stick houses we are so use to in the US. One of the biggest reasons for me, is that I am an absolute glutton for natural light. I have no idea what the American obsession is with small windows.

I started my adventure by looking at building a geodesic dome about 45 years ago. Unfortunately, at some time reality set in for me when I started to price the cost of the land that I needed and the cost of the structure that I wanted to build. It became readily apparent that it would be cheaper to purchase a traditional house with good bones but something that needed to be updated.

I decided that the best way to avoid the closed in feeling of a traditional house was to eliminate walls, but more importantly to increase natural light through larger/more windows and sky lights.

Here's a small 10' x 15' 1-season porch attached to the rear of the house, it had an 8' ceiling and no electricity or heat. It was accessed through a 30" door and had 4 windows that were 2' x 3'.

First thing we did was to cathedralize the ceiling, install a skylight, open the room up to the kitchen and install 13 casement windows that are 2' x 6'. A full view door was also installed to maximize light gain. Some before & after shots. The 4th photo gives you an idea as to how much light this little room allows in. Light on all 3 sides.

Nice improvement! I actually thought about you and your trains when I started this thread. All the TV shows drive me a bit nuts when they say "and we'll just open this up" cause they make it sound easy and forget to mention that structural engineers are involved half the time, and it requires redesigning structural support. Well, they do it right, but what's nutty is that other people say it on other shows that don't know what they're talking about now... like it's a free for all and costs little.

But your clown is a bit scary

Here's something that I thought was really neat, and costs almost nothing to do. It's from this place, which actually when you think about it didn't have to spend much. The front desk took some work, but the waiting bench just looks interesting because of a little bit of drywall and paint around it - as the wood is fairly cheap compared to other options, if it even is wood...

Also checkout this wild little apartment. It's mostly plywood and a bit of wood. Total size and budget has to be little for a home. I wouldn't be comfortable in the sleeping area without windows, but kudos for space use.

Here's something that I thought was really neat, and costs almost nothing to do.

Ya, the clown...

My grandfather was a commercial artist that worked with all media, oil paint, pastels, India ink, metal castings, sculpture, wood carving, Papier-mâché and the list goes on. He made the clown marionette for my father for his 12th birthday. He even sewed the clown costume. That thing is about 85 years old.

That lighting is pretty cool. Made possible thanks to LED's. Pretty simple from a design standpoint and pretty inexpensive to fabricate, however the visual impact is huge.

FWIW...here's a photo of my latest LED project. I made a kitchen countertop from a walnut slab that had a crack in it. Filled it with epoxy and voila. Of note, the 1st photo is taken from that 10' x 15' porch area that I mentioned. So this area was also opened up.

This place is deceptively small. I have to give it some real credit for minimalism. I like it quiet a bit. Although whatever is next to the fridge is.... I have no idea, looks like they stole it from a hospital. I have to imagine the overall budget could have bought them a bigger house that didn't have so much metal roofing, but probably not at that location. I would still want more sunlight, but I can see the objective of not making themselves into too much of voyeurist since they're in the middle of town.